engagement toolkit › en › about-us › resources › covid-19 › ... · geo-locate them to...
TRANSCRIPT
Digital
CommunityEngagement
Toolkit
Having the right
strategy is key
for effective
engagement
so it’s important to
choose the right tools
The spectrum of digital tools
COVID-19 is seeing the range of digital options used for
engagement rapidly expand - with new tools and the integration
of apps changing almost every week. It can be hard to decide
which tools will best deliver the right outcomes.
To help with choosing the right tools - GHD has developed this
infographic to display the full range of digital options aligned to
IAP2's* Engagement Spectrum.
• The spectrum starts within informing stakeholders about an
initiative… here we see the typical tools of presentations and
online communications being used.
• Continuing around the spectrum - we have tools applied to
consulting and involving stakeholders, such as online
surveys, insights mapping and augmented reality.
• When we dial things up into the collaboration space - live
polling, real-time platforms and virtual whiteboards can have a
role to play.
• We’re also starting to see stakeholders empowered in
decision making through the use of digital twins for co-created
designs and participatory budgeting platforms.
Each of these tools has a range of pros and cons to consider, so the next slides unpack a few of these options in a bit more detail.
*International Association for Public Participation
Inform
Digital tools are commonly used for informing stakeholders about
projects. Here are a few tips to help extend these forms of
engagement:
• Embed videos and live polls into presentations, or pre-record
a voice-over so that it can be watch remotely.
• Emails and digital newsletters can reach a broad audience but
it’s helpful to know how effective they are - so run background
analytics to find out the open rate and read times achieved.
• Digital advertising and search engine marketing (SEM) can be
cost effective, particularly when you demographically target and
geo-locate them to your desired audience.
• Often a lot of time is spent getting content onto websites - but
search engine optimisation (SEO) and scrutinising the user
analytics is what will ensure you leverage it to best effect.
• 3D visualisation helps bring flat images to life giving a ‘real
world’ perspective.
Consult
Consulting online means providing opportunities for stakeholders
to share their views:
• Turn on the commenting option for social media posts to get
direct intel on stakeholders’ views and sentiment.
• Use online chat forums or plug-ins on websites to have direct
conversations and support group chats.
• Embed quick feedback prompts into online formats to get a
snapshot of whether content and communications are hitting the
mark.
• Deploy online surveys with strong back-end analytics to gain
feedback throughout the life of a project.
• Online polling and real-time voting can be used for both in-
person forums and remote online consultation.
• Provide focus groups with access to information on tablets, 3D
visualisations and augmented reality to help immerse them in
the project.
• Even simple gamification can enhance participation, such as
task progress bars and completion badges.
Involve
Placing a digital device in the hands of
stakeholders can deepen their involvement in a
project:
• Augmented reality can help people visualise
and get an intuitive feel for a concept.
• Insights mapping such as using geographic
information systems (GIS) can add visual
analysis to the engagement and social planning
toolkits.
• Engagement platforms can support end-to-end
programs, many are customisable and provide a
good user experience.
• Online voting and prioritisation can be used to
facilitate decision making.
• Using social media and online forums drives
involvement and can be used to help to focus
discussions.
• Live video feeds of workshops and site visits
can make sure everyone can be involved.
Collaborate
Collaboration is all about creating working
partnerships – and using digital tools can help
support this.
• A range of tools such as 3D visualisations,
insights mapping, VR and digital twins can
be used for co-designing.
• Digital ‘fly-thrus’, live tracking of decisions
can support deliberative and design
forums
• Open dialogues are really about face to
face communications, but the use of visuals
and digital representations can help focus
and enhance the discussions.
• Virtual whiteboards can be used to run
online innovation initiatives.
Empower
Digital tools can also be used to empower
stakeholders and support collective decision making:
• Co-design workshops can be significantly
enhanced by creating digital representations.
• Augmented reality, sound mapping and interactive
installations all support place activations.
• Virtual neighbourhood platforms can be used to
build real world connections and empower
communities.
• Digital platforms are key to effective facilitation of
participatory budgeting programs.
www.ghd.com
Mary PapachristosChairperson - Engagement, Consultation &
Communities Digital Working Group, GHD
Contact
Stacy MuellerService Line Leader – Engagement,
Communications & Communities, North America
Contact
Anne-Marie KirkmanStrategy & Innovation Leader, GHD Digital
Contact